North Carolina Online Bibliography—Abstract
Full Journal Article (8 pages, 227K)
Water-quality and hydrologic information were collected along ground-water flow paths from two well-drained and two poorly drained Coastal Plain settings in North Carolina to evaluate the relative effectiveness of riparian buffers in reducing discharge of nitrate to streams. At one well-drained site with a 100 m buffer, little or no effect was detected on surface-water quality by discharging ground water because extensive woody vegetation in the buffer was able to take up not only most nitrate, but also most ground water before discharging to the stream during the growing season (March-October). At the second well-drained site, ground water discharging to the stream from the side with a buffer contained about 2 mg/L of nitrate-nitrogen after pasasing through the bed of the straem compared to 6 mg/L in ground water discharging from the side with no buffer. In the poorly drained settings, nitrate in ground water decreased from about 6 mg/L in the recharge zone to less than 0.02 mg/L downgradient from the riparian buffer. Ground water discharging from the side with no buffer contained 0.83 mg/L. Riparian buffers appear effective in reducing nitrate in ground water discharging to Coastal Plain streams.
Spruill, T.B., 2004, Effectiveness of riparian buffers in controlling ground-water discharge of nitrate to streams in selected hydrogeologic settings of the North Carolina Coastal Plain: Water Science and Technology, v. 49, no. 3, p. 63-70.
| For more information, contact | To order printed copies |
| North Carolina District U.S. Geological Survey 3916 Sunset Ridge Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 (919) 571-4000 |
North Carolina District U.S. Geological Survey 3916 Sunset Ridge Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 (919) 571-4037 |
Ordering and Availability Information
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://nc.water.usgs.gov/reports/abstracts/Spr04Eff.html
Page Contact Information: North Carolina Web Development Team
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, October 2 2007, 02:09:32 PM
